Goodbye Doesn't Always Mean Forever
by WickedSong
Summary: When Rory has to return to Ireland at the end of the school year, he and Sugar decide to have a clean break. But will fate step in and lend a hand eight years later? Oneshot. Flanamotta with a fair bit of Samcedes and some Brittana. Sequel to the multi-chapter, 'Love In Lies'.


**Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Glee, FOX do. I also don't own 'Home' by Michael Buble.**

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><p>A clean break was the easiest option they had decided. They were both going to be only Juniors after all when the new school year started, and he was going back to Ireland. They weren't even going to be on the same continent. They had agreed that a long distance romantic relationship was out of the question but that they could remain friends, since they were only parting because of distance.<p>

This is why Sugar found herself at the airport, clinging for dear life onto the dark blue shirt Rory wore, him rubbing small circles on her back, whispering in her ear, words she wasn't hearing clearly but ones she was gaining comfort from anyway. The crackling of the intercom above brought them out of their emotional farewell, and back to the hustle and bustle all around them. There was an announcement for his flight and Sugar smiled weakly as he returned this smile. Bending down he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and this caused her to take his face in her hands and place a more passionate one on his lips, one he almost returned until Mercedes cleared her throat from beside them.

She didn't want to break them up, she didn't want to make them say goodbye but Rory's flight was leaving soon and the sooner they broke apart the sooner they could be over the separation. The pair broke apart and the entire group afforded them with a sad smile and Sugar nodded almost surely but with that hint of insecurity.

She didn't know what to say as she looked into his eyes, finding herself almost lost in them. What did you say to your first love as he left? What did you say when you thought of all you had shared and all you could still share? What did you say when the obstacle between the two of you was an ocean, not a state line, not an hour long drive, but a vast blue space which separated the people as well as it did the continents?

"I love you." Had she said it before now? She couldn't remember. But she had thought in that moment that it didn't matter whether she had or not? If this was going to be her last chance for him to know then so be it.

"I love you too," he replied and she almost wished she hadn't opened that can of worms with that word. _Almost_. In the end she couldn't lie that hearing it gave her a wonderful feeling.

He looked beyond Sugar to the assembled members of the New Directions. There was Brittany, who looked almost as devestated as Sugar, since he had been living with her for a year, then there was Sam who looked sad but still smiled, as well as Finn, Puck, Mike, Blaine, Kurt and Artie who all milled around. Kurt stepped forward for a hug and soon enough all the guys were piled on top of him as he chuckled to himself.

Soon after all the girls did the same.

"We'll miss you, Lucky Charms," Santana said, and he swore he saw a tear in her eye. She shook her head. "Look at my allergies, playing up at the airport of all places. How stupid." She put her arm around Brittany who smiled in her direction.

"Thanks Santana."

"It's not like he's dying," reasoned Quinn sensibly as she stepped back to stand beside Brittany and Santana. "And you'll keep in touch, won't you Rory?" She gave him a sharp look.

Rory nodded immediately. "Of course."

But that sadness still hung in the air, making everyone tense. Rory guessed it was because it wasn't only himself they were saying goodbye to this summer. Most of the New Directions were seniors, except Tina, Artie, Blaine and Sugar and so the group were all going their separate ways, whether that be to the bright lights of New York or the prestige of Yale or the various other places the others had found themselves, they weren't all going to be together anymore.

The intercom crackled again and there was the final call for his flight. He gave Sugar one last tight squeeze of a hug and turned to everyone else.

"Well, I guess..."

"Goodbye." Sugar wiped her eyes subtly as she looked down.

"Goodbye," repeated Rory and he turned to walk away, but not before turning back to the group one last time and waving. It seemed to be happening in slow motion for Sugar, as if she was remembering every moment and keeping it locked away in her heart, for safekeeping so that she'd always remember. She never wanted to forget a moment of their time together.

Time seemed to resume back to normal as everyone went to leave the airport. Sugar only stood for a moment seeing if she could spot him in the crowd but he was gone in the noisy chaos of the airport and so she went to leave. Mercedes appeared at her side, offering her a tissue, while Sam gave her his lopsided smile and one of his best impressions.

Sugar took the tissue, thanking Mercedes and gave a forced smile to Sam's impression of Taylor Lautner. He seemed to be okay with this.

"Sam, could you go ask Artie about that thing please?"

"What-"

Mercedes shot her boyfriend a look and he immediately latched onto the point she was getting across. He nodded quickly and went to catch up with the rest of the group.

"You want me to give you a ride home?" Mercedes asked the younger girl, who she had taken under her wing, as had Santana and Brittany, when they had joined The Troubletones. Since then Sugar had grown so much.

She was almost about to turn the offer down and then remembered she had came with Brittany and Rory. "If it's not any trouble."

Mercedes shook her head. "Of course not." They arrived at the parking lot and after Mercedes had shared a quick hug with Sam she turned to Sugar. "Come on. Let's get going." She said goodbye to everyone and hopped into her car.

Mercedes drove in silence for a couple of minutes before turning to find Sugar staring aimlessly out of the window, humming a song to herself, one that Mercedes recognised as 'Home' by Michael Buble the song that Rory had serenaded her with during Valentine's week in glee club.

Mercedes smiled at her. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

Sugar turned her head. "You know what's on my mind. Or who's on my mind." She sighed deeply as she shook her head. "Do you think it's stupid to be so attached to someone? We only dated for three months, we're sixteen. That's an insane amount of time to fall in love with someone, isn't it?"

"If you had asked me that a year ago I'd probably tell you to stop driving a Rachel Berry-crazy type train but," she looked down, "I've been there. Literally, I've been in your position."

Sugar nodded. "With Sam?" she assumed. "You two dated over the summer and then he left?"

"And I loved him still and _that _was two months." Mercedes continued to keep her eyes trained on the road ahead as she spoke. "Sometimes, Sugar, love just chooses you. I wish I could tell you that you'll wake up tomorrow morning and you'll forget Rory even existed but you won't. And it's better that way."

"So being sad is better?"

"Feeling something is better," corrected Mercedes. "Burying your head in the sand and hiding your true feelings all while professing you've moved on is not an alternative." She smiled sadly. "I learned that the hard way."

"So love finds it's way back?" Sugar gave a laugh. "That's bullshit if I ever heard it."

"Have you _seen _the glee club?" asked Mercedes. "I think that's a good enough example of that." Finally they pulled up outside of the Motta mansion. "Sugar, I'm not saying that you and Rory are going to be together forever and I'm not saying that just because you love him now you won't ever love again or as strongly." She looked as if she was carefully choosing her words because Sugar's face fell at the frank nature of what she had just said. "But if you guys are meant to see each other again, you will. If you guys are meant to love each other again, you will."

Sugar nodded and then leaned over to hug Mercedes. "Thanks," she admitted. "For everything." Smiling, Mercedes nodded to the younger girl and Sugar climbed out of the car.

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><p>Rory stepped off the plane to the cool air. He had spent the entire flight in a flux of emotions. In one moment he would be bouncing on his seat in anticipation of seeing his family, the next would be spent staring out of the window wistfully thinking of America, his friends who were like a family now, and Sugar in particular, especially the far away look in her eyes when he had turned to wave that one last time.<p>

The first sight he was greeted with as he exited the baggage claim was his family, his dad, his mum, his brother all crowding around him. The sight caused tears to spring to his eyes while he also noticed his family's expressions change once they saw him. His mother kept shouting, 'Oh God, he's safe, he's safe,' over and over again, while Seamus, a bubble of energy ran towards him, knocking the breath out of him with a huge hug. He gave his ten year old brother a hug back, bending down so that he could lift him up. Seamus laughed when he did this.

"Put me down, Roar, I've grown a lot, you'll drop me!"

"Not a chance, little man," replied Rory with a fake lion roar, a play on the nickname his brother had given him years ago.

"Oh you're safe," his mother repeated over and over again as she reached him, kissing his cheeks and forehead over and over again, while his father gave him a quick hug and pat on the back as the family embraced. His dad lifted his suitcase while Rory let Seamus down. His mother gave him a once over. "No tattoos? No piercings? No-"

"Mum, I'm fine,"

"I think we all want to hear about that girl you were telling us about? The one with the name-"

"Sugar!" Seamus added helpfully.

Rory gave a somewhat forced smile to his family. Not wanting to damper the mood by mentioning they had broken up he only nodded. "When we get home I'll tell you everything, I promise."

And everything he would. He would tell them how he had found not only himself in America but something amazing. He had found love. And now he had lost love. And it sucked. And it was unfair but his family also meant a lot to him.

As much as he missed his friends, especially Sugar right now.

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><p><strong>EIGHT YEARS LATER.<strong>

Heading out of the airport Rory looked at the familar surroundings. It had been years since he had been in Lima, Ohio. Eight years to be exact and it hadn't seemed to change a bit. Looking around he tried to find the familiar face and suddenly he saw him. The man of the hour himself. Sam Evans. Grinning, he walked up to his old friend and the two hugged, as if it hadn't been almost a year and a half since they had last saw each other.

Sam took Rory's suitcase and threw it into the back of his truck and then the two guys climbed into the car.

"So, you finally asked her?"

"Only a couple of weeks after you left last year, actually."

Rory nodded. "I'm so happy for you guys. If anyone was going to go the distance it was you two."

Sam smiled gratefully and laughed. When Rory looked at him confused, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just happy. There was so much upheaval when I was a teenager, even after that. She was the one thing that kept me sane through it all."

Rory grinned again and gave him a slap on the back in congratulations. "Well, in a day you get to commit yourself to a life of insanity."

"And people say Puck never influenced you at all."

Rory shrugged at this and looked out of the window. "So why Lima of all places for your wedding? I thought since the both of you were in New York-"

"Lima's our home," Sam told him. "Where she grew up, where I lost and gained everything, where we found each other. Home is where the heart is, Rory."

"And some people say you never taught me anything."

Sam laughed. "So tell me, what's new with you? Any girl in your life?"

Rory shook his head. "No, there was a girl back home. We almost got engaged actually. Until I found her making out with some other dude."

"I'm sorry."

The Irish boy laughed it off. "Oh don't be. That was last year. I don't know. I guess I'm still looking for something. Hell, I'm only twenty-four. I'm sure I'll find it one day."

Nodding Sam agreed with him. "Well in the end you want to find the person who made you feel like you could be yourself. Someone who never tried to change you."

Sam drove on with Rory in a contemplative silence.

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><p>"What about Jake? He hardly spoke and he wasn't exactly a bad sight to look at, you know?"<p>

Sugar sat with Santana and Brittany as she went through her book of phone numbers looking for someone to take to Sam and Mercedes' wedding but failing to find a date. She gave Santana a odd look when she said this. "Jake was a pig and you know it. And plus, thought you played for the other team."

Santana shrugged. "Only trying to help. And, hey, doesn't mean I can't look."

Brittany gave her a playful shove of the shoulder and Santana did the same. Before it could descend into something else however, Sugar stood up. "I guess I'll fly solo then."

"Maybe you'll meet someone there?" suggested Brittany helpfully.

"Maybe, Britt." Sugar put the book beside her bed and then took her purse from her door handle. "Come on, Mercedes wants to make sure the dresses are perfect before tomorrow."

Santana lazily stood from the bed and Brittany did so too with more enthusiasm. Happily she strolled out of the room as Santana followed amused, Sugar the last out of the room of her old home, where she was staying while she was in town for the wedding, now that she was a model based in London. She had received her big break quite by accident but it was a lucky one and while she wasn't too famous yet she was getting there. It was everything she had ever wanted.

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><p>When they first saw each other across the room at the rehearsal dinner, a list of expletives rolled off Sugar's tongue that those around her didn't believe. "What is he doing here?" she asked Quinn as he stood at the other side of the room, chatting happily with Mike and a younger blonde guy who Sugar could only slightly remember was Sam's younger brother, Stevie.<p>

"I'm assuming he was invited to the wedding," Quinn remarked almost sarcastically. She nudged the younger girl in the side. "Go on and talk to him."

"But-but-"

"But what? It's been eight years." Quinn gave her a matter-of-fact look and took her shoulders, sending her on her way.

Walking straight ahead towards him Sugar noticed that Rory really hadn't changed that much. He was slightly taller, had some stubble on his chin and his hair was a slightly lighter shade of brown. But apart from these he was still _Rory_. She almost stopped and turned the other way since she noticed Quinn stuck in a fierce debate of some kind with Artie but her legs continued to pull her toward him and so she kept walking.

That was when he noticed her. Upon seeing her, Rory was instantly transported to being sixteen again and experiencing the triumphs and heartbreaks of first love. First kiss, first date, first meeting with the parents, first time, all the firsts he had been hoping to experience and had with more feeling and passion that he had ever imagined he would.

She looked the same to him, same brown hair, same doe eyes, same air of confidence and it didn't look as if eight years had changed her that much physically.

"Sugar! Is that you?" He knew it was her, only asking for the sake of pleasantries.

Sugar was frozen for a moment, incapable of speech with him standing only a little away from her but eventually she realised herself. "Yeah, it's me! It's great to see you, Rory. I haven't spoken to you in-"

"Four years," he finished.

They had kept in contact but somewhere along the way, they had lost it. Sugar had blamed it on losing his number and e-mail address when she had moved and Rory had used the same excuse.

"I-I can't believe you're here. I didn't know you had kept in touch with-" She was losing her footing and finding herself becoming more and more tongue-tied and it didn't seem that Rory was faring any better.

"Y-Yeah me neither."

"So are you here with-with anyone?" she asked it innocently enough, just a toe in the water as she tried to gauge where he was in his life. It was a possibility he could be married, have kids and if that was the case she would be so happy for him, even if her heart was praying that he would tell her-

"No, yourself?"

"You're not?" she asked, brightly smiling. "Me neither."

Rory awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well isn't that nice? We're both single at a wedding." He laughed.

Sugar shrugged. "Oh well."

"I thought single people were depressing and boring."

She looked down and grinned as she thought of the words she had spoken herself eight years previously. "I guess I grew up a little."

They continued speaking for as long as they could. It amazed the both of them how easily they had slipped back into conversation, even after all this time, how he could still make her laugh and how her laugh still made him grin more than ever. It was infectious. Maybe it was just the party atmosphere but it seemed as if some old feelings were resurfacing.

"Speak to you later?" he asked Sugar as she was pulled away from him by a stressed Tina, who as maid of honour was panicking over something that had to be done before the wedding. Sugar had been the only person she had been able to see on short notice to help her. Tina had given Rory a small nod in acknowledgement that he was there.

"I'd love to," was Sugar's reply as she waved to him and then was lost in the throng of people she had been pulled through by Tina.

Rory chuckled before walking off to get himself another drink.

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><p>The ceremony had been beautiful and had went off without a hitch. It was one full of smiles and tears but finally Sam and Mercedes had become a married couple. Rory had thought he was cheering the loudest when they walked back down the aisle as man and wife but he caught sight of Sugar shrieking happily and he knew that probably she was the one causing more noise. He laughed at this and continued to do so when he caught her eye and she had folded her arms and gave him a look that asked, 'what am I doing wrong?' as she laughed as well.<p>

They had chatted briefly before the end of the rehearsal dinner but that conversation had also been cut short by a panicking Puck who was drunk and worrying about losing Sam. In the end it turned out he hadn't lost Sam anywhere and he had only slipped out for the toilet when no one had noticed. He and Sam had put it down to the older man seeing _The Hangover_ one too many times and having too much to drink as they made sure he got to his room, with the help of Lauren, who Rory had only met once when she and Puck decided to go to senior prom together, who had despaired at him, and threatened to have a word with in the morning.

By the time they had returned to the hall, Sugar had already left for bed and a downhearted Rory had vowed to talk to her again in the morning before the wedding. That hadn't come to pass but he had hoped that the reception would give him plenty of opportunities.

As fate would have it - or maybe just Sam and Mercedes trying to play matchmaker, he didn't know and didn't care - he was seated next to Sugar for the meal and the two discussed what they were up to now. Rory told her how he had went to college in Ireland but was planning a move to London in order to get a better job than the one he had now. He was a teacher as fate would have it. The two both wondered silently what this would mean now that she was based in London but neither wanted to say anything about it.

The meal finished and after the speeches the music began. The first dance was the bride and groom only to a song that Rory didn't recognise but one that was very romantic. As the song progressed more couples got up to join in until finally he found himself with Sugar in his arms, quite like the Valentine's Day dance all those years ago.

There were a few more upbeat songs which Rory sat out while Sugar danced the night away with Brittany who brought on the dance floor at the reception as if she were on a stage performing.

Then the pace slowed down and a song that Rory recognised almost immediately began playing. He stood up walking towards Sugar and finding that she was also walking towards him.

"I guess you want this dance then?" she asked, in a teasing and flirty way as she held out her hand.

"Your guess is right," he replied, taking her hand in his own as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. It felt good to be this close again.

_"And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you, each one a line or two, I'm flying baby high with you, I would send them but I know it's not enough, my words were cold and flat, and you deserve more than that."_

"Do you remember when you sang this to me?" asked Sugar as she nestled her head against his chest and the contact made Rory's head spin.

All he could do was nod. "Yeah, and then you decided to go on a pity date with me." She looked up, shocked at him. "Kidding! Or am I?"

She laughed. "You're kidding, I know you are."

He nodded. "Yeah, I am."

_"Another aeroplane, another sunny place, I'm lucky I know but I wanna go home, I got to go home, let me go home, I've just too far from where you are, I wanna come home."_

"You know, I think there's a reason for this song," Rory suggested and Sugar looked at him confused. "I mean, we're both single. We've both never been able to date other people without it ending badly." Sugar nodded in agreement. "Maybe...maybe we're getting a second chance."

"Is there such a thing?" she asked, but then the words Mercedes had said all those years ago flooded into her mind. _"But if you guys are meant to see each other again, you will. If you guys are meant to love each other again, you will." _

"We're both going to be on the same continent for the first time ever. I'm not saying that I expect us to pick up where we left off but a coffee maybe, when I go to London?"

She smiled. "I think I could get on board with that." She took his face in her hands and kissed him on impulse, thinking as she did so how much she had forgotten she missed this.

Maybe Mercedes had been right.

Maybe Rory was right.

Maybe second chances did exist.

Sometimes goodbye was a word you used to say farewell. Sometimes a goodbye would last forever.

_"Let me go home, it'll all be alright, I'll be home tonight, I'm coming back home."_

But it wasn't doing that for them, she mused as she looked up at him, his face bright with a smile because of that kiss and hers matching his in the insane smile she wore.

Goodbye _didn't_ always mean goodbye forever, for them it had simply been a placeholder, a way to say, 'I'll see you again,' a promise that that would happen as it had tonight.

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><p><strong>It was not my intention for this to break 4000 words but sometimes things just want to be written and I can't stop until the piece tells me, 'there I'm finished.' God I sound like a crazy person, huh? So this was basically just me writing Flanamotta (I know other call them SugorySugary but Flanamotta is so much fun to say) for the second time but this is a continuation of canon ideas. Sorry for the mild Samcedes if you don't ship them but they're my OTP, they are always going to find a way to be involved. Plus, I love Sory friendship and I see Sugar as being like the protege that Mercedes, Britt and Santana all take under their wing when they join the TT's.**

**Please read and review because I would love, love, love to hear your thoughts.**

**Thank you,**

**WickedSong x**


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